My attendance on the fundraising circuit in Toronto resumed in mid-January 2011 where I volunteered as a silent auction assistant at The Walrus Foundation Gala held at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District. I intuited this would be a stellar event — one that would allow me, once again, to be in close contact with unique and treasured items!
The collective Canadian voice of writers and artists, The Walrus, is worthy of our attention and worth saving. Please care to watch this video: WeNeedTheWalrus
Natasha ARORA supervising a collection of Canadiana items at the Silent Auction, 19 Jan 2011
The programming for the evening — from cocktails and dinner service to live entertainment, speeches and final silent bids — all followed promptly on cue. I had feelings of pride to have attended what is and will remain a memorable Toronto night-out. My responsibilities from my side of the auction table were to inform guests (and future buyers) of the four items (of many) I was proudly supervising. They included Edward Burtynsky’s ship lamps from his shipbreaking shoot in Bangladesh; Joanne Tod’s original double panel paintings entitled “Divided Touch” a photo of which had graced the magazine’s November 2010 cover; a weekend theatre package including accommodation at the upcoming Stratford Shakespeare Festival; and finally, Mordecai Richler’s writing jacket, a size 46 with shortened sleeves, and a 12-year bottle of Macallan! From my point-of-view, all the great photo opportunities could have been shot from here because without fail, as guests approached the table with curiosity, a sense of discovery quickly brought on wide smiles and occasional smirks. The stories were here. It was an enchanting evening.
Natasha ARORA alongside Mordecai RICHLER's Writing Jacket at the Silent Auction
Other notable moments included my chats with Sonja Smits (I remarked on her beautiful aubergine-colored dress and we small-talked about the rarity of color other than black in most evening attire), Noah Richler and Piers Handling, while also in attendance were Bruce Kuwabara, Jian Gomeshi, Valerie Pringle, Barry Avrich, Pamela Wallin, Roz Ivey, and Edward Burtynsky al vivo to name only a few. Canada has so much talent!
The 2011 edition of The Walrus Foundation Gala netted 30% higher earnings from the previous year. Corporate-sponsored tables were 100% sold and so were the auctioned items. Glittering news for The Walrus!